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Melvin Varghese

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Teacher Bio

Pushing the boundaries of traditional Indian classical dance, Melvin Varghese is an emerging dancer, instructor, and choreographer hailing from New York City. He started training in the Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatyam at the tender age of six and completed his formal graduation in 2004 under Smt. Chandrakala Raghavan. Since then, Melvin has trained under several renowned gurus in India including Leela Samson, RLV Anand, and Parshwanath Upadhye, to name a few.

Pushing the boundaries of traditional Indian classical dance, Melvin Varghese is an emerging dancer, instructor, and choreographer hailing from New York City. He started training in the Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatyam at the tender age of six and completed his formal graduation in 2004 under Smt. Chandrakala Raghavan. Since then, Melvin has trained under several renowned gurus in India including Leela Samson, RLV Anand, and Parshwanath Upadhye, to name a few.

Melvin is the founding father of Rutgers University Natya, the award winning collegiate dance team which was featured in the New York Times in 2012. In 2009, he joined one of the leading Indian dance companies in New York and New Jersey, AATMA Performing Arts. As both a company dancer and instructor for the AATMA Performing Arts school, Melvin's keen eye for perfection and attention to detail make him an integral part of this organization. His choreography has also been featured in numerous stage shows across the nation and globe, most notably, Mystic India: The World Tour. W

ith the intent of growing Indian classical dance overseas, Melvin's passion for technical excellence is the driving force behind his success as an instructor, and he hopes to impart this philosophy in all of his students.

Melvin graduated with his doctorate in physical therapy from Mercy College in 2016. Currently, Melvin is the on-site physical therapist at the Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway.

Class Descriptions

Class Description

Bharatanatyam is one of the seven classical dance styles originating in India, tracing its roots to 5000 BC, making it one of the oldest art forms in the world! The three essential components of Bharatanatyam are Bhava (emotion), Raga (melody) and Tala (rhythm), which utilizes nritta (technique), nritya (facial expressions) and natya (story telling) to create the rich style that is deeply rooted in Hinduism. The intrinsic Southern Indian geometric style is well known for its intricate footwork, hand gestures and expression (or Abhinaya) to tell a story.

Melvin's class will focus on a few dance phrases that will be set to music and utilized in choreography.